Learn Hardcore Polish: Mój kot śpi pod stołem. - My cat sleeps under the table.

Polish has no direct equivalents of English articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is shown by context, word order, or modifiers (like mój “my”). So Mój kot can mean “my cat” (definite by possession) and Kot śpi pod stołem can mean either “a cat sleeps under the table” or “the cat sleeps under the table,” depending on context.

Why is kot not changed to kota or another form?

Kot is the subject of the sentence, so it stands in the nominative case. Kota is the genitive or accusative singular form of kot, used after certain prepositions or verbs, or to express possession (e.g. szukam kota – “I’m looking for the cat”). Here, because it’s the doer of śpi (sleeps), it remains nominative.

Why is stołem used instead of stół or stoły?

After the preposition pod indicating static location (where something is), Polish uses the instrumental case. The instrumental singular of stół (table) is stołem.

Nominative (subject): stół
Genitive: stołu
Dative: stołowi
Accusative: stół
Instrumental: stołem
Locative: stole

How does the preposition pod decide which case to take?

Pod can govern two cases:
• Accusative for movement toward something (direction):
– idę pod stół (“I’m going under the table”)
• Instrumental for location (where something is):
– kot śpi pod stołem (“the cat sleeps under the table”)
Since sleeping is a state (no motion), we use instrumental.

What does śpi mean, and how do you conjugate the verb spać?

Śpi is the 3rd person singular present tense of spać (“to sleep”). Conjugation in the present tense:
• ja śpię (I sleep)
• ty śpisz (you sleep)
• on/ona/ono śpi (he/she/it sleeps)
• my śpimy (we sleep)
• wy śpicie (you pl. sleep)
• oni/one śpią (they sleep)

Why is the possessive adjective mój used before kot? How does it change for other genders or numbers?

Mój agrees with kot in gender (masculine), number (singular), and case (nominative). In Polish, possessive adjectives decline exactly like regular adjectives. For other forms you’d use:
• feminine singular: moja (moja książka – my book)
• neuter singular: moje (moje okno – my window)
• masculine personal plural: moi (moi bracia – my brothers)
• non-personal plural: moje (moje koty – my cats)

Can you omit mój and just say Kot śpi pod stołem?

Yes. Kot śpi pod stołem still means “The/a cat sleeps under the table.” Without mój, the sentence refers to any cat, not specifically yours. Polish frequently omits possessives or pronouns if the meaning is clear from context.

How do you pronounce Mój kot śpi pod stołem?

Approximate phonetic:
• Mój – “mooy” (IPA: [muj])
• kot – “koht” ([kɔt])
• śpi – “shpi” ([ɕpʲi])
• pod – “pot” ([pɔt])
• stołem – “STOH-wem” ([ˈstɔwɛm])
Putting it together: [muj kot ɕpʲi pɔt ˈstɔwɛm].